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Pre-Exercise Meals and Snacks by Nanci S. Guest, MSc, RD, CSCS-- Sport Dietitian
· All meals and snacks should be high in FUEL (carbohydrates): fruit, bread, low fat muffins, bagels, cereal, pasta, potatoes, rice, beans, chocolate milk, fruit yogurt etc.
· The pre-exercise meal should settle your hunger and help restore carbohydrates (fuel) to the blood stream and muscle reserve (also called glycogen).
· This meal should hydrate you as well as provide some extra energy and strength for your training session.
· High fat and high protein meals take longer to digest (high fat meal up to 4-5hrs to digest), cause heavy/full feeling, and make exercise more difficult. Avoid high-fat fast foods (hamburgers, French fries), large servings of meat/poultry/full-fat dairy etc
· The longer you have before you exercise, the more food you can safely consume without risking digestive discomfort or nausea.
· The table below provides a general guideline - food consumption should be modified according to athlete’s body weight and goals (i.e. less food for weight loss/lower bodyweight; more food for muscle gain/higher body weight)
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Pre-Exercise
Guidelines
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3-4 hours prior to
exercise
Medium meal
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2-3 hours prior to
exercise
Smaller Meal
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1-2 hours prior to
exercise
Very Light Meal
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Only 30-45 min left before game
Liquid Energy
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Food Groups:
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2-4 ounces of lean meat/chick/fish or alternative protein source
• 1-3 bread/starch serving
• 1 fruit servings
• 1 dairy serving
• 1-2 cups of water
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• 1-2 ounces of lean meat/chick/fish or alternative protein source
• 1 bread/starch servings
• 1 fruit serving
• 1 dairy serving
• 1-2 cups of water
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• low protein
• low fat
• liquid or blended meals that will empty out of stomach rapidly
• low-fat milk products with fruit or energy drinks/bars high in carbohydrates
•2-3 cups water
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• ZERO fat or protein
• 100% liquid carbs
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EXAMPLE:
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• Turkey or chicken sub sandwich with veggies & mustard or light mayonnaise
• apple/pear/melon
• 1 cup of low-fat or skim milk
OR
• Protein Bar w/ a banana, fruit salad or ¼ cup raisins
• 1 cup of low-fat or skim milk
OR
• 2-3 slices pizza (avoid meat topping)
• 1-2 cups of water
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• Low Sugar cereal with low-fat milk topped with a sliced banana or berries
OR
• 1 slice of low-fat cheese on toast or a baked potato with chili beans and 1 • 1 oz lean meat/fish
OR
• 1/2 cup applesauce or light fruit cocktail w/ 1 cup of low-fat milk or yogurt
• 1-2 cups of water
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• Fat-free fruit yogurt
• banana or ¼ cup raisins
OR
• low fat muffin/bagel
OR
• low fat energy bar
• all solid foods with 2-3 cups water
OR
• 2-3 cups of sports drink (a quick & convenient fuel source immediately pre-exercise or during exercise when pre-meal is missed)
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• Sip on sports drink for last hour and continue with water and sports drink throughout game or training session
• Dilute sports drink to 30-50% water if desired
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